


How The Rum Tum Tugger became The Rum Tum Tugger

by Elemental_sorceress1



Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Genre: Fights, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kitten Tugger, Light Angst, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22179499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elemental_sorceress1/pseuds/Elemental_sorceress1
Summary: While walking home with her parents Katie comes across a stray Maine coon kitten.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	1. The Stray

Katlynn Jules was walking home with her parents one night in November, the air carrying an edge of winters biting cold with it. Her parents stopped to talk briefly to one of their neighbors, leaving Katie to sit quietly on the stairs of their house. She looked up when she heard a noise coming from the alley the separated the house from another and stood from her spot to investigate the sound. 

She peered into the alley, two small golden eyes meeting hers, a small kitten sitting amongst the trash it's head nearly obscured by the mane of fur it had around its neck. Katie smiled, kneeling down and making soft cooing noises at the kitten while gently patting the ground. 

Eventually, the kitten cautiously made its way closer, sniffing curiously at her fingertips before allowing her to pet it's soft head gently. She stood up, gently scooping the kitten up and holding him against her chest, scratching between its ears.

"Can I keep him? Please" Katie asked, looking up at her parents with pleading brown eyes, her mouth stretched into a pleading smile.

"Katie, it's a stray it could have some kind of disease and it probably has fleas" her father replied, the cat somehow managed to look affronted at the comment.

"Oh come on sweetie, it's her birthday," her mother said, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder and smiling at her husband.

"Fine, but it's sleeping in the bathroom tonight and we're taking it to the vet in the morning," her father said, sounding resigned. Katie cheered, hugging the kitten gently as she followed her mother as she unlocked the front door.

XXX

Katie helped her mom get the kitten situated in the bathroom, a cardboard box lined with a fuzzy blanket made for a good substitute for a bed, and a bowl of water and a small plate of shredded chicken, in case the kitten was hungry.

"Alright sweetie, it's time for bed now, you'll see him in the morning," her mother told her once she had brushed her teeth, and was simply watching the kitten stick his paw into the stream of water before licking it off.

"Kay, night kitty," Katie said, giving the kitten one last pat to the head before leaving, turning the light off and closing the door behind her.

XXX

They borrowed a small cat carrier off of their neighbor the next morning, luring the kitten into it with pieces of chicken. The kitten didn't seem to like the crate or riding in a car, yowling as loud as it's little lungs would allow it.

"Have you thought of a name for him yet?" her father asked, his eyes focused on the road.

"No" Katie admitted, before going back to gently shushing the cat, trying to calm him down.

"What about Fluffy?" her dad suggested, looking into the rearview mirror at her.

"Fluffy's a stupid name dad" Katie replied.

"Buddy?" her mother tried, Katie shook her head.

"Elliott?" was her father's response.

"I'll think about it some more," Katie said.

"Alright, but the vet is going to need a name so they can start a file," her mother told her, Katie nodded and looked out the window, tapping her fingers to the drumming in the song playing on the radio.

XXX

The vet's office was nearly empty when they entered, Katie carrying the crate, the kitten had settled into a low continuous growl, the woman at the front desk raised an eyebrow at the crate.

"We found a stray kitten last night and let our daughter keep it, we were hoping the vet would have time to see him?" her mother said, the woman nodded.

"Dr. Andrews is in an appointment right now, but he has about an hour free after that if you wouldn't mind waiting," she said, nodding her head towards the small waiting area.

"That's fine" her mother agreed.

"Great, just fill out these forms the best you can, anything you can't answer just leave blank and we'll fill it in later" The woman replied, handing her mother a clipboard and pen.

"Have you decided on a name?" her mother asked, pen hovering over the sheet of paper.

Katie looked into the crate, meeting the golden yellow eyes of the kitten inside it and smiled at him, wiggling three fingers inside of the bars of the door to scratch at the top of its head, the kitten meowed softly.

"Rum Tum Tugger," Katie said, nodding her head decisively.

"Rum Tum Tugger?" her father asked.

"Rum Tum kind of sounds like the noise a drum makes, and he seemed to like the drum solo in the song that was on, and he looks like a Tugger" Katie explained with a shrug.

"Rum Tum Tugger it is" her mother smiled, writing the name out with a smile.

XXX

Once the vet had led them into the exam room and had shut the door behind him, he unlocked the door of the crate and Rum Tum Tugger leaped out, instead of attempting to hide the kitten sat on the floor and glared at the crate with a hiss.

"It's alright, come here," the vet said softly, picking the kitten up gently and setting him on the table, petting from his head down to the base of his tail to calm him down.

"Well, he looks like a Maine Coon, but it's possible since he was a stray that he could be mixed with something else," the vet told them, smoothing down the mane of fur around the kitten's neck.

"We'll do some blood work and check for any diseases, I'll call you in a day or two with the results. As for your worry about fleas, you can pick up some flea shampoo at any pet supply store, give him a bath in that and it'll kill any fleas or eggs, and a good brushing will help get rid of any of the dead ones that don't come out in the bath. After that a simple flea collar will help avoid him picking any up in the future" he added, before grabbing a needle to collect blood for the blood testing, the kitten hissed and tried to scratch at the man, but Katie's father held him still, earning a bite to his hand in the process.

XXX

Once the vet was finished Katie held the kitten close to her and cooed, scratching between his ears and kissing his head, the kitten seemed to be resigned to the treatment. 

"Don't worry, the next appointments won't be as bad" Katie promised, carrying the kitten out of the building instead of trying to get him back into the crate. 

"We're going to go get the stuff for him now right?" Katie asked excitedly, once she was in the car, Rum Tum Tugger curled up on the floor under her legs.

"Yes" her father replied.

"Can I pick everything out?!" Katie asked, even more, excited at the prospect.

"He's your kitten sweetie" her mother answered, Katie, smiled brightly.

XXX

They returned home that afternoon, her parents carrying the bags of supplies, and Katie holding Rum Tum Tugger, the kitten sporting a brand new spiked black collar, that was technically for small dogs and was a little big on the kitten, but Katie liked it, and more importantly he seemed to as well. His name was even engraved on a little circular tag.

"Alright, sweetie, why don't you and mommy get all of his stuff situated and I'll go bath him," her father told her, Katie nodded and handed the kitten in her arms off to her father, running into the kitchen to start setting up his stuff.

XXX

Her father emerged from the bathroom forty minutes later, soaked and covered in scratches and bites, a struggling Rum Tum Tugger in his arms wrapped tightly in a towel, Katie took him and began kissing the top of his head.

"Are you okay Daddy?" she asked, looking up at her father in concern.

"I'm fine, why don't you go dry him off and brush him?" he replied, Katie nodded, grabbing the brush and comb along with the flea collar and his regular collar and running to her room, eager to introduce her new friend to where he would be sleeping for the rest of his life.


	2. A Cat's Duty

Tugger stretched as he stood from his nap, digging his claws into the soft fabric of the sweater he'd been sleeping on, Katie had learned early on to leave the bottom drawer of her dresser open for him to nap in. It was one of his favorite napping spots, along with the patch of sunlight that shone onto the kitchen table.

Katie would be home from 'School' soon, he wasn't sure what that was, but his youngest human left to go there almost every day, and he didn't like that. Katie should be home all the time, where he could make sure she was safe. Humans weren't like cats, after all, they didn't have claws or sharp teeth to protect themselves. 

He jumped out of the drawer and made his way into the living room, one of his other humans, the one called 'Mom' was sewing, not even paying attention to him, he hadn't shown her attention today, she could probably use some feline companionship.

Tugger jumped into the woman's lap with a meow, purring as he rubbed himself against her stomach, she sighed and pushed her sewing aside to pet down his back, scratching under his chin with her other hand.

"Why do you always decide you want to be affectionate when we're busy?" the human asked, Tugger simply rubbed his head into her hand in response, forcing her to scratch between his ears instead.

"I'm home!" Katie's voice called, and Tugger jumped down from 'Mom's' lap, running to greet his youngest human, she was also his favorite, but he wasn't going to admit that to anyone, after all, he was The Rum Tum Tugger.

"Tugger! Did you have a good day?" Katie asked, kneeling on the floor to greet him. 

"I slept in the drawer, kept mom company, and chased a mouse away from the house" Tugger replied, he was very pleased with himself, it was a cat's duty to watch over their humans. Katie smiled at him, she never really seemed to understand him, but she always pet him and gave him treats anyway.

"Want a treat? Come on, let's go get you a treat" Katie said, kissing the top of his head before standing and making her way to the kitchen, Tugger followed, sitting at her feet while she pulled the treats down from the cupboard they were kept in. Tugger turned his head away when she held her hand out, he didn't want chicken treats, he wanted the salmon ones.

"Alright you silly kitty, do you want the fish instead?" Katie asked, offering him a salmon treat. He meowed and ate the treat out of her palm, letting her scratch behind his right ear, the spot that never failed to make him purr.

XXX

Tugger watched Katie from his spot on the edge of her bed, she was staring intently at the paper in front of her. It was probably the 'Homework' Katie had to do after 'School' it always seemed to stress her out, but he had gotten in trouble the one time he had tried to tear it up for her. 

Instead, he decided to jump into her lap, purring and rubbing his head against her chin, Katie smiled and began running one hand down his back. He purred and curled up, deciding to keep her company while she did her 'Homework'.

XXX  
Katie was singing along quietly to the song that was playing as she brushed his fur, 'Bohemian Rapsody' was one of Katie's favorite songs, and Tugger enjoyed when she sang along.

She fluffed his mane, making sure there were no tangles or knots in it, gently combing out any that she found. It was their nighttime ritual, and though Tugger would never admit it, he loved it when Katie brushed his fur. 

Tugger purred as he dosed slightly, listening to Katie sing and relaxing under the gentle brush strokes.

"You're such a handsome cat," Katie told him, replacing his collar once she finished.

Tugger rubbed his head against her hands before taking his place at the end of the bed as she turned off the music that was playing and curled up under her blanket to go to sleep. Pressed against Katie's feet Tugger purred, silently watching over the human who had come to mean so much to him.


	3. Tugger VS The Dog

Tugger stretched his front legs out in front of him, curled up in one of the few patches of sunshine that made it through the bush of sweet-smelling flowers in front of the house, claws extended and digging into the dirt. 'Mom' said that he wasn't allowed in the bushes, but the most she did when she caught him was sigh and shake her head, so he didn't bother listening to that rule. 

Katie was sitting on a blanket in the front yard, eating her lunch as what she had called a 'Picnic' he had been interested in the 'Picnic' until 'Mom' had told Katie to stop feeding him pieces of her sandwich. And so he had left, but he had stayed close.

His nap was interrupted by a growl, too deep to belong to a cat, and the smell of a dog made it's way to his nose, Tugger jumped out of the bushes. The dog was large, its brown and grey fur dirty and scraggly with clumps missing. A chunk was missing in its left ear, and it was making its way closer to Katie, the deep growl still rumbling in its chest.

With a hiss Tugger pounced, landing between his human and the dog, swiping at the animal with his claws. He didn't like to fight, but if the dog ignored his warning then he was willing to do whatever it took to keep it away from Katie. 

When the dog took another step Tugger jumped onto it's back, claws and teeth digging into its skin. Katie had finally stood, seeming to break out of her fear-induced stillness and ran for the door of the house while Tugger distracted the dog.

XXX

The dog's large teeth closed around Tuggers's neck, he hissed weakly and tried to struggle away, but his body ached with every movement he made. The dog had managed to get his mouth around the Maine coon's waist and throw him off. He could feel the blood matting his fur into clumps.

With a yelp the dog was suddenly pulled away from him, he lifted his head as much as he could and watched as the dog was dragged away by a human dressed in blue. The man had the dog by a pole attached to its neck. The dog growled and snapped at the man as he managed to wrestle it into the back of a truck.

"Tugger!" Katie shouted, falling to her knees on the ground beside him, she touched the top of his head gently with a shaking hand. She had tears in her eyes and she smelled like fear and worry, Tugger purred, hoping to offer her some comfort.

"It looks like your gate is broken, it's not latching when it's closed. It's probably a stray that wandered in looking for food" the man was telling 'Mom' she nodded, but her head turned away to look at Katie and Tugger.

"If your cat hadn't attacked it, the way your daughter described its actions, it's likely it might have attacked her. I hope your cat will be alright" he continued.

Once the man left, 'Mom' gently wrapped Tugger in the towel she was holding and picked him up, carrying him quickly to the car, Katie following and sliding into the seat beside the one he was placed on.

"You'll be alright, and as soon as your back home I'll give you twice as many treats and brush you for an extra hour every night for a month" Katie promised him, petting his head gently. Tugger's eyes closed, Katie's soft voice fading away as blackness swallowed him.

XXX

Tugger woke up groggily, he was laying on his side, his middle wrapped in white bandages and locked in a cage, but the blanket he was laying on was soft and fluffy, and he wanted to go back to sleep.

Before he could, however, the light in the room turned on, blinding him for a second before his eyes adjusted. Tugger stared out of the bars at the human Katie called 'Vet', he was tempted to hiss at the man, but he was still tired.

"I'm glad your awake, that means you should be just fine. Your owner wanted to see you before they go home" the man told him, opening the cage and picking him up. This time Tugger did hiss, but with him still feeling weak that was all he managed.

"Tugger," Katie said as he was laid on a table, and Tugger purred, happy to see his human, even if she still smelled like fear and worry. She was alright, and he had kept her safe, and he didn't regret what he did. 

"Good Kitty" 'Mom' told him, petting his head gently. She smelled like worry as well, but she also smelled like relief and Tugger licked her hand as she pulled away.

"Alright, he needs to go back and rest now. I'll keep him overnight for today and tomorrow, just for observation and then you can take him home" 'Vet said, lifting him back up, Katie waved at him as he was carried away.

"Get some rest hero cat, your owner wants you home as soon as possible" the man told him once he was back in the cage, scratching under his chin as Tugger fell asleep once more.

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by the Headcanons of 'Was-there-ever' over on Tumblr. I'm going off of the 1998 version of the Musical as it's my favorite.
> 
> The name suggestion of Buddy is in honor of a cat I owned as a child, and the suggestion of Elliott is a reference to T.S. Elliott who originally wrote the poem of The Rum Tum Tugger, and the other Practical cat poems.


End file.
